Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The 40K/40Ar and 40Ar/39Ar Methods

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Paleoclimatology

Part of the book series: Frontiers in Earth Sciences ((FRONTIERS))

Abstract

The 40K/40Ar method and its variant, 40Ar/39Ar, are based on the natural radioactive decay of 40K, one of the isotopes of potassium, in 40Ar, one of the isotopes of argon. 40K decreases in 40Ar* (the * symbol indicates that this is a radiogenic isotope) with a period of 1.25 × 109 years, according to the law of radioactive decay N = N0 e−λt. In other words, if we consider a closed system, containing at an initial time (t0) N0 atoms of 40K, then N0/2 atoms of 40K will remain in the system after 1.25 × 109 years. This gives us an indication of the geochronological application. If, in a geological sample, both the number of parent atoms remaining (40K) and the number of daughter atoms formed (40Ar*) can be measured, then it is possible to calculate the age of formation of this sample.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Berger, G. W., & York, D. (1981). Geothermometry from 40Ar/39Ar dating experiments. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 45, 795–811.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cassignol, C., Cornette, Y., David, B., & Gillot, P. Y. (1978). Technologie potassium-argon. C.E.N., Saclay, Rapport CEA R-4802, 37 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cassignol, C., & Gillot, P.-Y. (1982). Range and effectiveness of unspiked potassium-argon dating: Experimental groundwork and examples. In G. S. Odin (Ed.), Numerical dating in stratigraphy (pp. 159–179). Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Charbit, S., Guillou, H., & Turpin, L. (1998). Cross calibration of K-Ar standard minerals using an unspiked Ar measurement technique. Chemical Geology, 150, 147–159.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dalrymple, G. B., Alexander, E. C. Lanphere, M., & Kraker, G. P. (1981). Irradiation of samples for 40Ar/39Ar dating using the geological survey TRIGA reactor. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper, 1176.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalrymple, G. B., & Lanphere, M. A. (1969). In J. Gilluly & A. O. Woodford (Eds.), Potassium-argon dating. Principles, techniques and applications to geochronology (251 p.). San Francisco, CA: W. H. Freeman and Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalrymple, G. B., & Lanphere, M. A. (1974). 40Ar/39Ar age spectra of some undisturbed terrestrial samples. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 38, 715–738.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Deino, A. L., & Potts, R. (1992). Age-probability spectra for examination of single crystal 40Ar/39Ar dating results: Examples from Olorgesailie, Southern Kenya Rift. Quaternary International, 13(14), 47–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flish, M. (1982). Potassium-argon analysis. In G. S. Odin (Ed.), Numerical dating in stratigraphy (pp. 151–158). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuhrmann, U., Lippolt, H., & Hess, C. J. (1987). HD-B1 biotite reference material for K-Ar Chronometry. Chemical Geology, 66, 41–51.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Garner, E. L., Murphy, T. J., Gramlich, J. W., Paulsen, P. J., & Barnes, I. L. (1975). Absolute isotopic abundance ratios and the atomic weight of a reference sample of potassium. Journal of Research of the National Bureau of Standards, 79A, 713–725.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guillou, H., Singer, B. S., Laj, C., Kissel, C., Scaillet, S., & Jicha, B. R. (2004). On the age of the Laschamp geomagnetic excursion. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 227(3–4), 331–343.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jicha, B. R., Singer, B. S., & Sobol, P. (2016). Re-evaluation of the ages of 40Ar/39Ar sanidine standards and super-eruptions in the western US using a Noblesse multi-collector mass spectrometer. Chemical Geology, 431, 54–66.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kuiper, K. F., Deino, A., Hilgen, F. J., Krijgsman, W., Renne, P. R., & Wijbrans, J. R. (2008). Synchronizing rock clocks of Earth history. Science, 320, 500–505.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Laj, C., Guillou, H., & Kissel, C. (2014). Dynamics of the earth magnetic field in the 10-75 kyr period comprising the Laschamp and Mono Lake excursions: New results from the French Chaîne des Puys in a global perspective. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 387, 184–197.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lanphere, M. A., & Dalrymple, G. B. (2000). First principles calibration of 38Ar Tracers. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper, 1621.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J. Y., Marti, K., Severinghaus, K., Kawamura, K., Yoo, H. S., Lee, J. B., et al. (2006). A redetermination of the isotopic abundances of atmospheric Ar. Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta, 70, 4507–4512.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McDougall, I., & Harrison, T. M. (1988). Geochronology and thermochronology by the 40Ar/39Ar method (p. 212). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDougall, I., & Roksandic, Z. (1974). Total fusion 40Ar/39Ar ages using HIFAR reactor. Geological Society of Australia, 21, 81–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merrihue, C. (1965). Trace element determinations and potassium argon dating by mass spectroscopy of neutron irradiated samples. Transactions American Geophysical Union, 46, 125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merrihue, C., & Turner, G. (1966). Potassium-argon dating by activation with fast neutrons. Journal of Geophysical Research, 71, 2852–2857.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Min, K. W., Mundil, R., Renne, P. R., & Ludwig, K. R. (2000). A test for systematic errors in 40Ar/39Ar geochronology through comparison with U-Pb analysis of a 1.1 Ga rhyolite. Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta, 64, 73–98.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, J. G. (1968). The Argon-40/Argon-39 dating in coesite-bearing and associated units of the Dora Maira Massif, Western Alps. European Journal of Mineralogy, 3, 239–262.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nier, A. O. (1950). A redetermination of the relative abundances of the isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, argon and potassium. Physical Review, 77, 789–793.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Niespolo, E. M., Rutte, D., Deino, A. L., & Renne, P. R. (2017). Intercalibration and age of the Alder Creek sanidine 40Ar/39Ar standard. Quaternary Geochronology, 39, 205–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Odin, G. S. (1982). Interlaboratory standards for dating purposes. In G. S. Odin (Ed.), Numerical dating in stratigraphy (pp. 123–158). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pereira, A., Nomade, S., Bahain, J.-J., & Piperno, M. (2017). Datation par 40Ar/39Ar sur monocristaux de feldspaths potassiques: exemple d’application sur le site pléistocène moyen ancien de Notarchirico (Basilicate, Italie). Quaternaire, 28(2), 149–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, D., Matchan, E. L., Honda, M., & Kuiper, K. F. (2017). Astronomical calibration of 40Ar/39Ar reference minerals using high-precision, multi-collector (ARGUS VI) mass spectrometry. Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta, 196, 351–369.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Renne, P. R. (2000). In J. S. Noller, J. M. Sowers, & W. R. Lettis (Eds.), K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar dating, in quaternary geochronology: Methods and applications. Washington, D.C.: American Geophysical Union. https://doi.org/10.1029/rf004p0077.

  • Renne, P. R., Mundil, R., Balco, G., Min, K., & Ludwig, K. R. (2010). Joint determination of 40 K decay constants and 40Ar∗/40K for the Fish Canyon sanidine standard and improved accuracy for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology. Geochemica et Cosmochimica Acta, 74, 5349–5367.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Roddick, J. C. (1983). High precision intercalibration of 40Ar-39Ar standards. Geochemical and Cosmochimical Acta, 47, 887–898.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Samson, S. D., & Alexander, E. C., Jr. (1987). Calibration of interlaboratory 40Ar-39Ar Dating Standard, MMhb-1. Chemical Geology, 66, 27–34.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Steiger, R. H., & Jäger, E. (1977). Subcommission on geochronology: Convention on the use of decay constants in geo- and cosmochronology. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 5, 320–324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, G., Huneke, J. C., Podosek, F. A., & Wasserburg, G. J. (1971). 40Ar-39Ar ages and cosmic ray exposure rays of apollo 14 samples. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 12, 19–35.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Turner, G., Miller, J. A., & Grasty, R. L. (1966). The thermal history of the bruderheim meteorite. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 1, 155–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wänke, H., & König, H. (1959). Eine neue Methode zür Kalium-Argon Alterbestimmung und ihre Anwendung auf Steinmeteorite. Zeitschrift für Naturforschung A, 14a, 860–866.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, LSCE/IPSL, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, 91190, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

    Hervé Guillou, Sébastien Nomade & Vincent Scao

Authors
  1. Hervé Guillou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sébastien Nomade
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Vincent Scao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hervé Guillou .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. LSCE/IPSL, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

    Gilles Ramstein

  2. LSCE/IPSL, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, Ariège, France

    Amaëlle Landais

  3. LSCE/IPSL, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, Ariège, France

    Nathaelle Bouttes

  4. LSCE/IPSL, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, Ariège, France

    Pierre Sepulchre

  5. LSCE/IPSL, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, Ariège, France

    Aline Govin

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Guillou, H., Nomade, S., Scao, V. (2021). The 40K/40Ar and 40Ar/39Ar Methods. In: Ramstein, G., Landais, A., Bouttes, N., Sepulchre, P., Govin, A. (eds) Paleoclimatology. Frontiers in Earth Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24982-3_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation